Gray World
by Sky Lawliet
Summary: In a gray world, what can one do to regain the ones you once knew? Slight Naruto depression. Set after the Kage Summit but I promise it's easy to follow without having seen or read to that point. Yaoi but there is a legitimate story line. Some side pairings. Slight OOC on some characters but only to better the story. The romance won't be right away but hang in there ;) SasuNaru
1. Sinking

A/N: All rights reserved to those who created Naruto.

There is yaoi and there will be M-Rated content sooooooo Viewer discretion is advised! :3 This fic will hopefully be updated regularly! Please review. It fuels my write fire! I really hope you guys like it and I hope there's not too much OOC for ya! So without further ado, I give you... Gray World: Chapter 1: Sinking.

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Naruto looked up at the never ending, midnight sky above and frowned. The sky never seemed so vast nor did he ever feel so little. Something twisted in his chest violently. Had this world always been so empty? So gray? It seemed life had always been vibrant and beautiful. Even when his childhood was lonely, it was never gray. There was always something beautiful. From the pink cherry blossoms that fluttered through the breeze in the spring to the harvest festivals of the fall. Everything had always seemed beautiful when Naruto decided to notice it. So why now did the normally gorgeous onyx-blue sky dusted with blazing diamond stars look like a black blanket covered in specs of insignificant lint? Why now did the powerful fire dancing gracefully in the center of camp look like a candle flickering weakly in a gust? Why did Sakura's normally luscious pink hair look pale and limp as she talked quietly with Kakashi? Had something come and sucked the life out of everything? Naruto's frown hardened. 'Why? Why do I feel so empty? Why does my chest feel like someones removed all it's contents? Why does this hurt? Why am I thinking like this! Why am I noticing all these things!'

He flopped backwards onto the mat below him, letting out a soft whine, fingers twinning in his less than soft, matted hair as he tugged lightly at it. He grimaced at the confusion fogging his brain and the nasty condition of his hair.

"Naruto?" The blonde sat up to see his two companions staring questioningly at him. "Are you alright?" Sakura tilted her head, moving to stand up.  
"Hai! Just realizing how much I need a good washing, Sakura-chan. Care to join me?" He playfully added, throwing a coy smile across his face, knowing the pink haired tyrant would be sidetracked by the perverted suggestion.  
He was correct.  
"Naruto!" She shrieked, slamming a good right hook into his tanned cheek, sending him flying onto his back a good ten feet away. "You perv! Go bathe by yourself!" Throwing a towel at the boy, she stomped back over next to Kakashi, who had been chuckling to himself through the little exchange, sitting down in a huff. Karin, their crimson prisoner, snickered until a glare from Sakura shut her up. Naruto got up begrudgingly, muttering about crazy women and heading off to a near by stream.

As he walked, he began thinking again. 'Geez, that girl! She's so mean.' He hopped lightly over a fallen tree. 'I know she cares me but sometimes... ugh. Crazy kunoichi.' He began to hear the rivers rushing waters. 'How can she treat me this way? It makes it really hard to love her... Love her?' He lost his train of thought as he saw the clear water rushing over white stones. Stripping out of his clothes, he stepped gently into the river, shivering at the soothing coolness. As he submerged himself chest deep, feeling the water beat against his aching back, his train of thought came back to him.  
'Sakura... Do I really love her? I mean think of how cruel she is to me... She always beats on me and insults me and turns me down... Yeah she's nice to me but she still treats me like a brat instead of the hero I am. I've saved her so many times and half the time all I get it a punch in the face for it! She always takes and takes and takes and never really gives... That's all I seem to do it give... I've never really minded much til now. Why? Shouldn't I have cared that all I ever do is give to people, fight, and work my ass off till I'm sweating and bleeding and it's only now that I'm getting recognition... I've always wanted to be respected but now that I am... It's so... Oh what's the damn word... Artificial! That's it! The respect I get from people is artificial and forced like they're only doing it because they feel like they have to and not that they actually do... Sakura is artificial too, isn't she? I mean she LIED to me! She came up and told me she loved me and didn't love Sasuke!' Naruto breathed in sharply, eyes widening as the water around him took on an icier feel. 'Sasuke...' His world seemed to get grayer as he thought of his friend. The stars seemed to fade to nothing and all that was left was a black sky, the light of a dim crescent moon the only thing keeping the world from descending into nothing. His bright blue eyes lost their twinkle, skin turning from bronze to a fawn color, and lively, blonde hair seeming to turn corn silk colored. It seemed like all his being darkened and an aura of anguish settled on the scene. 'Sasuke...'

Brain shutting down, Naruto drifted down into the murky depths of the water. Frigid rocks brushed his back as he settled onto the bottom, fingers trailing through some plants and curling around them to keep him from floating to the surface. He stared up at the swirling tide, the stars began to shimmer delicately as he cleared everything from his tired mind. How incredible it would be to just stay immersed like this in simple nature. Just letting the time flow over your body like this water and stare out at the game of life, a spectator not a player. Naruto felt calm. A sense of peace nestled upon him as his oxygen began to fade. He let a bubble escape his lips and watched it swish away over his nose and down stream.

_You are such a fool. _A dark, eerie voice boomed through the hastening water. Naruto choked, rising fast, and gasping for air. He whirled around quickly, searching for the owner of the voice. There was no one in sight nor no one within sensing distance. He shook his head hard, wrapping his arms around himself, he went to his towel and dried off. The thought of the warm fire at camp had him forgetting the voice and racing to put on his clothing and get back.

As he arrived back at camp, he stared at his sleeping team mates with a mixture of sadness and love. 'This is my team... So why do I feel so alienated?' Slumping onto his mat and down into his thin blanket, he pushed everything aside and fell into a fitful sleep. A raven haunted his dreams. The raven. That raven. Why raven?


	2. Stockholm Syndrome

A/N: All rights reserved to those who own Naruto.

Heyo, everyone! I'm so happy I have a follower! And a review! OMG :3 It's so awesome! Well anyway I hope you will enjoy this chapter. I'm trying to make sure I give you guys enough fuel to keep the want for this story high. I'm going to update whenever I can but reviews, follows, messages, and favorites help ;) *Wink wink hint hint* How do you guys feel about a Sasuke chapter? Just to kinda set the scene for the future ;) OH why am I asking? I want a Sasuke chapter!

**WARNING! I want you people to forget that Naruto sees his father in the battle against Pain! Okay? It won't fit the story. Just imagine the battle as instead of the Nine Tails completely taking over his body, the Nine Tails released Naruto after he had killed Pain's Yahiko body. Just bear with me on it** **please?**

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The next morning, the group set out for the Leaf. After Karin's princess complex decided to get in the way of how early they were going to leave, Sakura was ready to roll heads. She had fussed at all three of her companions before they had even packed up. Naruto hadn't wanted to get up, Karin had wanted to bathe AGAIN for probably the fifth time since they had left the site of Sasuke and Danzo's fight, and Kakashi... well he was reading his pervy books again! 'I swear it's like taking care of a bunch of children!' She thought spitefully to herself. She glared at Kakashi, who leapt from tree to tree like a wild cat. She watched her long term mentor turned colleague twist through the air to avoid a branch. His stark silver hair tasseled in the wind. He was handsome to be for sure but his kinky antiques overshadowed his good qualities quite well. She rolled her eyes and allowed her gaze to fall on Karin, who was nestled on Kakashi's back looking rather disgruntle.

Karin was something else. She was pretty and all but her personality! It rivaled Ino's neck and neck. She was obnoxious and stuck up. With a muffled chuckle, Sakura realized that maybe if Karin was some how allowed to join the ranks of Konoha's ninja, she'd get along just fine with her and Ino. They'd probably be quite the group. A stubborn but powerful group. She smiled then looked at her faithful team-mate.

Her smile faded quickly. Naruto looked almost ill. His spiky hair laid limply against his headband. His whole demeanor seemed limp even though he was powering ahead of Kakashi and Karin. She couldn't see his face but she was sure it was probably not a normal, determined Naruto face. She was about to call his name when he suddenly dropped down to the forest floor along with Kakashi and Karin.

She fell into step with them after jumping down from the branches only then realizing they had reached where the gates of the Leaf once stood. Her heart swelled at the sight of how much rebuilding had been done while they had been gone. But then it plummeted to her feet as she thought of Lady Tsunade. A sigh left her lips earning her a sideways glance from Kakashi. Whom gave her a quick, silent smile.

Izumo and Kotetsu met them at the first new street with happy smiles and cheerful 'Welcome home's. They joked around with Naruto, saying it had been far too quiet without the number one knuckle head ninja and they weren't looking forward to the headache. They were joking of course, but Naruto had pouted at this and made a show of storming off to lean against a near by building, muttering curses. Ibiki and some of the Interrogation and Torture Force showed up, taking Karin and whispered something to Kakashi before walking off towards what seemed to be the center of their new village. Kakashi turned to Naruto and Sakura.

"Well it seems that Lady Hokage has awoken from her, uh... nap and is requesting our teams presence. I suggest we get going." He smiled before disappearing leisurely into the bubbling swarms of workers and ordinary towns people. Naruto didn't say anything but grinned and ran after Kakashi. Sakura grinned ear to ear, shedding tears as she raced after the knuckle head, crying out in happiness and passing both of them as she bolted for the tent Lady Tsunade would be in.

"My Lady!" This shout could be heard all through out Konoha as Sakura leapt through the door of the hidden tent. Salty torrents streaming down her face, she pushed passed the other medical ninjas and Shizune to hug her mentor vigorously. "My Lady, I'm so happy you're alive! I was so scared! The others said there was a slim chance you'd live and... and... Oh I'm just so happy!" Tsunade chortled and hugged her student back, shooting a scathing glare at the other medical ninja who were about to protest about Sakura hugging her.

"They should really have had more faith in me and my abilities. Now now, Sakura, I'm fine. No need to drown yourself in tears." The busty woman teased as Naruto and Kakashi joined them in the tent. "Now let go so I can give my blonde a hug too." She smiled at Naruto fondly and gestured for him to come closer as Sakura stepped back, wiping her cheeks and sniffling quietly. Naruto grinned and gave Tsunade a gentle hug.

"Old lady, it's good to see you alive and kickin'." He said, smiling an impish grin and rubbing the back of his head. "You're still gonna be Hokage? Damn, I was hoping for that job!" He pouted again, crossing his arms indignantly.

"You'll do best not to call me old lady if you know what's good for you, kid. Just because I'm not my full strength doesn't mean I can't still deliver a good beating." She said clearly playful. Naruto grinned even wider and snorted before stepping back and grumbling about cranky, old, menopausal women. Both Tsunade's and Kakashi's right eyebrow rose in surprise as the blonde smiled sheepishly and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Seems the boy learned to back down from a fight he won't win while you were gone. Speaking of, how was the mission?" Tsunade asked hesitantly, motioning for all the medical ninjas to leave the remnants of Team 7 to report their findings in private.

"Ma'am, Uchiha Sasuke led an attack on the Five Kage Summit. Uchiha Madara has him as a pawn in a plan he calls Tsuki No Me. They plan to ascertain Killer Bee of the Hidden Cloud and Naruto," Said blonde's head shot up at the sound of the other jinchuriki's name. ",in order to take out the Tailed Beasts and merge them into his own body to form the Ten Tailed Beast that the Sage of Six Paths supposedly defeated. In short, Madara would like to become the new Sage of Six Paths and control the world to create what he calls 'peace'." Kakashi stated. "Also, Lord Danzo and his escorts, Fu and Torune, have all been killed. Sasuke and Madara are the culprits and we have taken one of Sasuke's team mates captive after she was abandoned to die by enemy. She is currently with Ibiki." He nodded finishing his summarized report. Tsunade was quiet for a long time and a pregnant silence began to stretch into forever.

Finally, after much shifting from Naruto and scared glances from Sakura and Shizune, Tsunade spoke.

"What fights took place between you and the enemy?" She asked her voice laced with suspicion. Naruto looked down, his hair shadowing his immense, sapphire eyes. Kakashi again was the one to speak up.

"There was a short battle between Naruto and Sasuke." He said, failing to mention the very short attempted battle between Sakura and Sasuke, knowing Tsunade asked the question while already knowing the answer. Tsunade nodded curtly, a frown marring her pale features. "There was no certain winner. More of a physical discussion." Naruto let out a small laugh and looked up with a sheepish smile.

"It was nothing, Grandma. Just had to put that prick in his place." He laughed again, but Tsunade saw through the facade. She could tell the blonde was bothered by the fight. She decided to call Naruto in separately after he had gotten a few days to rest. Nodding her head she spoke.

"I see. Well, thank you all. I'm glad to see you safe and sound. There are plenty of things to be done around here. Kakashi, I received a scroll by messenger bird the other day that I'd like to talk to you about. Sakura, Shizune, Naruto, you're all dismissed." She ordered curtly. Shizune and Sakura seemed to open their mouths in unison to protest but Tsunade's face shut them up very quickly and they filed out. Naruto lingered for a moment, seeming to contemplate something.

"Grandma... There is going to be a war over us, isn't there? Me and Killer Bee, I mean." He was hesitant. Tsunade was surprised the unperceptive teen had come to that truthful conclusion. She nodded again.

"Yes. There will be. We haven't decided what to do about you two yet but you can not be allowed to be anywhere close to Madara's grasp." Kakashi bowed his head in agreement.

"But if this war is over me I have to be there! I can't let people die over me!" The blonde instantly realized the implications. The lives that would be lost for him. 'How can she think I'm not going into battle with them? Not standing by my friends? How can she do that to me? To my friends? To our village?'

"Naruto, my decision is final. If Madara gets a hold of you or Killer Bee, he'll be that much close to wiping out everything we've stood for, everything we love. I'm not allowing you into battle. End of discussion!" Tsunade raised her voice. Her anger was out of motherly love. She couldn't let anything happen to her village or her little knuckle head. She couldn't bare the thought. She shut her eyes and continued. "Naruto, you are important to everyone in the village. We all want to protect you. Please just do as I ask and not get involved with the battle? Where ever I decide to hide you, promise you'll stay there?" She opened her fierce, brown eyes and stared unblinkingly at Naruto. "Promise me, Naruto?" Her tone was firm and unwavering. The blonde's shoulders were tense, his whole entire body language was clearly distressed. He stared right back at Tsunade, just as fiery and determined.

"Lady, I will NOT promise. I never go back on my word so promising you would go against my ninja way. I'm sorry but I will not let my friends die." He said with determination that was all to common for the ninja. His eyes flared bright azure as he clenched his teeth and fists tighter. Tsunade had expected him not to agree.

"Naruto. You have a duty to you village to be safe and not go getting yourself captured and killed. You are NOT going into battle." Kakashi tried to intervene but Naruto interrupted him.

"I will not hide while innocents die! I will not go hold up in some bunker till all the fighting dies down! I am Uzumaki Naruto and I will never betray my friends like that! Believe it!" The tent flaps fluttered as he ran out them. Kakashi tried to stop him but Tsunade held his sleeve. The White Fang heir looked down at his Hokage questioningly. She just shook her head.

"Let him go. He won't go far. He never does." Her faith in him knew no bounds and she could read him like a book.

"As you wish, My Lady." Kakashi knelt beside Tsunade. "Now to the subject of the scroll. At the Five Kage Summit, it was decided that all the Five Nations plus the Land of Iron would unite to form the Allied Shinobi Forces to fight against the Akatsuki." Kakashi reported solemnly. Tsunade nodded again. "The forces are strong but they aren't very united. We might not be able to pull together. And Intel has told us that Madara has an ally, Zetsu, who can clone himself indefinitely. He was there at the Kage Summit and he spreads his clones like a fungus, with spores of chakra latching onto other chakra and trapping them. With this cloning ability, their forces could reach far beyond our own."

"I see... So in short, Kakashi, we are in for hell on earth..." Tsunade hung her head.

"Yes, ma'am, indeed we are."

*...*

Naruto's breathing was labored, his knuckles bled, his heart pounded, his hair was mangled with sweat that dripped into his eyes, burning them. He punched and kicked the training stump over and over.

"Why?" Punch. "Why?" Punch. "Why?!" Kick. "WHY?!" The log splintered into millions of pieces, spraying across the training ground. The blonde stood there, fist extended in the air, blood dripping steadily from the cuts up his arm, chest heaving. He stared blankly forward, his body slumping, falling to the ground with a thud. Rolling onto his back, he could see the blue sky turning dark. 'Why... Why am I always so useless? Why am I always causing trouble?' He brought his hand up above his face, watching the blood swell and slide down his already healing wrist. 'Kyuubi... You're the reason for all this. You slimy, disgusting, vile fox. You have always caused me nothing but trouble. No one loves me except when I give them something. No one loves me for me. They love me for my reputation...' He sighed, familiar tears welling in his eyes. 'They only love me when I've given all I can give. Sakura... I've loved her for years. I've chased and chased after her. Always being there for her. Always being her shoulder to cry on. Always saving her. And all I've gotten is lies. Lies and hurt. I don't need either one of those anymore. I can't take it. Why did I even love her in the first place? All she's ever done is hurt me... Maybe I never loved her? Maybe I just wanted to get her because she wanted... She wanted HIM... Maybe I only wanted her because she wanted him... Maybe... Her and all the rest of the villagers, they've only just now noticed me. Only after I saved them from disaster for the umpteenth have they acknowledged me.' A sob broke through his straining control. 'Why? Why am I not good enough to be loved unconditionally? Why am I always the one to get hurt? Why am I always the one alone? I'm so happy to have everyone's respect but will that respect fade if I don't save them over and over again? Will I just be forgotten? Will my sacrifices be forgotten? I don't wanna be forgotten. I have to fight in the war. I can't hide. I can't be forgotten! I have to fight. I have to show my strength. Show that I'm a worthy Hokage. Show I'm a worthy shinobi. Show that I am worth respecting. Show that I am worth loving...' Tears rushed in streams down his tan, scarred face. 'Why am I not worth loving... Mom, Dad, I don't know what to do... Why am I so unloved...'

_Because they don't understand. _A dark, curling voice said. Naruto jumped, peering around at the shadows.

"Who's there?" Naruto yelled, hand reaching for a kunai. He remembered this voice from last night. Has someone been following him?

_Kit, you won't need that kunai._ The voice said again. Naruto lowered the weapon. 'Kit? What the hell?' A chuckle raked through Naruto's brain. _I wouldn't expect you to know who I am. Think hard, kit. I know that's difficult for you but try. _Another laugh echoed through Naruto, his face twisted into a frown. 'It couldn't be...' _Now you're catching on._

"But you're... Wait a second! Did you just call me dumb?" Naruto shouted, stomping his feet like a child. 'Kyuubi is talking to me?' "You slimy fox. How are you talking to me? I'm not in my inner universe right now." Naruto glared at the ground, feeling like a schizophrenic for just talking to nothing. If someone saw him right now, he'd be thrown in a padded cell with the sign, Crack Pot Ville,on the door. Another tremendous chuckle ricocheted around his skull. "Dammit, will you stop laughing? It's loud as fuck!"

_You are dumb, little kit. And I don't know. I just figured out how to do this yesterday. Seems I opened a channel between your tiny brain and the seal. _The demon chuckled again and Naruto felt the fox's chakra stirring in his abdomen.

"Didn't I just ask you to stop laughing?" Naruto said haughtily, sitting down and crossing his arms over his chest. He grimaced at the sting of his wounds as they rubbed against his jacket. He pulled the jacket off, shivering at the cold night. The wounds didn't look too bad. They were basically just a bunch a splinters, which well... In and of itself hurts like hell.

_Sorry, kit. _Naruto looked up, somewhat taken aback by the fox's tone. It sounded as dark, creepy, and chilling as ever but it seemed like there was an actual apologetic undertone. _Let me heal those. _A warm, tingling feeling spread throughout the ninja's arm as the small cuts seemed to stitch themselves together, the small pieces of wood falling out and scattering into the dirt. Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth fell some what ajar.

"They healed so quickly!" Astonishment was heavy in his voice. "Why couldn't you just do that whenever I get injured badly? Like when I broke my arm when I used the Rasengan Shuriken?" He pouted for probably the third time that day. 'Holding out me, ne?', he thought incredulously.

_Your 'thank you's are lacking. I'm normally asleep while you're off wrecking our body. _He growled low before laughing again, though quieter this time Naruto noticed.

"Our body? This is MY body, fox. Not yours! And I don't just go around wrecking my body. Shit happens. Mostly due to YOU. Everyone's always been coming down on me because of you, Kyuubi. Half the time, I don't even think they understand I'm not just a container. They just think, 'There's the nine tail's jinchuriki.' But I'm not just a vessel. I'm Uzamaki Naruto, and I'm damn proud of it. You're always just getting in the way of people seeing that." Naruto ranted angrily, glowering darkly with so much heat he was surprised the forest didn't catch fire. "It's your fault."

Naruto's words hung in the air as Kyuubi in his cage shifted uncomfortably. His ears lowered slightly and he felt a small blossom of remorse. Sure, he still hated the village for sealing him away but he did feel sympathy for his young container. The fox sighed, laying it's front paws on top of each other and resting his head atop them. A cloud of his chakra rustled and puffed away from his body.

_They don't understand, kitsune. _The fox shook his head, a rumble going through his chest. Naruto's anger dwindled a little. But only a little.

"And you do? You attacked the village and tried to kill innocents. You succeeded in murdering so many people without a single reason to! You are a terrible being and you bring nothing but despair and pain. It was all ALL your fault! How are you any better than them? You're worse than them..." Naruto's rant receded as he felt another sting in his eyes. He scrubbed his face viciously, feeling a weird emotion from his inner universe. He could have sworn it was something like regret mixed with rage. "... Kyuubi?"

_Kit, I know what I did. It wasn't all my fault. You don't even know the half of it. Don't preach to me when you're ignorant to what actually happened. You'll regret it. Don't you dare think you can yell at me, you pathetic human. I have lived long and seen things that would have curdled the blood in your veins. You have no idea. Don't you dare yell at me. I am the nine tails. And to think I was almost remorseful for your predicament. You are not worthy of my remorse. _The fox's ears went up as his scruff stood on end. He let out a roar that shook Naruto's core to the point of 's aura diminished with a fiery surge of chakra that scalded the blondes abdomen. Naruto cried out and clutched his stomach but the pain waned to nothing in seconds. He looked down at the seal. It was intact and fully shaded, without any fading.

"Kyuubi?" Naruto asked tentatively. 'What the hell, you stupid, bipolar fox.' He got up shaking his head, feeling like he had missed something. Picking up his jacket, he made his way towards Konoha. The wind blew through his damp hair. He closed his eyes and let the breeze flow over his face, pushing the incident with the demon aside and just enjoying the sweet silence. The words of the fox kept trying to creep back into his mind but he pushed them away fervently. Naruto didn't want to try and comprehend the fox's sudden anger. Instead he focused on counting the number of fireflies he passed. The little dots of light zipped in and out of the canopy, dancing around each other. The blonde liked these moments. The moments where he just found something simple to enjoy. It was a big contrast to his normally sporadic and loud personality so he thought of it as sort of his guilty pleasure.

He soon reached the dirt streets of the village. However he stopped, realizing he wasn't sure where he was supposed to be staying. His apartment was destroyed and it was one of the older ones in the outer residential districts of the city. It wouldn't be built for at least another month. Meaning he didn't have a home for the next month. 'That place wasn't really home anyway. What with no one to come home to.' He sighed. He wished he knew who his parents were. At least then he could have someone's grave to visit when he was feeling down or when he had something important that, if he had parents, he would want to share with them. Another sigh escaped his lips. But to him that's a fairy tale and fairy tales don't come true. 'I guess I could just wander around.' He set off in no particular direction, pulling his coat back on. He wrapped his arms around himself, a bout of loneliness striking him, weighing on his heart strings.

He passed what seemed to be the new shopping district of the village. All the stores were closed, of course, except for the occasional barbeque bar with drunken laughter seeping from the open doors and windows. Naruto played with the idea of going in to grab a bite to eat but didn't quite feel up to sitting alone in a crowded bar.

Feeling a another wave of loneliness, the ninja hurried away from the area, finding the darker, quieter areas of the town far more appealing. He walked on and on till, having grown sick of the plain dirt road, he leapt with surprising grace up onto the roof of the nearest building. He ran in a parkour fashion, doing small flips over alley ways and practically gliding over rises and chimneys. It felt nice to flex his muscles, the healing from Kyuubi earlier having rejuvenated him. 'At least the fox can do something helpful.'

Naruto began thinking of Kyuubi again and this time he didn't stop the thoughts. 'He seemed to be somehow kind in a strange way. He even listened when I told him to stop laughing so loud... What did he mean by me being ignorant? I mean I know I'm not the smartest but I don't think he was talking about my IQ.' Naruto vaulted over an open skylight, earning a surprised yelp from whomever was inside. 'He said he was remorseful... Does that mean he actually regrets what he did? That he regrets me getting so much heat over him? Somehow I can't see Kyuubi feeling anything but anger towards me and everyone else.' What was it that Naruto wasn't piecing together? He felt so confused. He hated being confused yet it seemed to be a feeling he was far too familiar with. 'Kyuubi said it wasn't his fault but how could it not have been? I mean how is it not your fault that you kill hundreds of inno-'

"Naruto?" A voice broke through the blonde's inner bewilderment, causing him to lose focus and his footing. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. He landed unceremoniously on his back, stirring up dust. He sat up and gasped for the air that had been knocked out of him as Shikamaru appeared in his line of sight. The spiky haired teen put a hand on the blonde's shoulder has he nearly hacked up his lungs. "Are you okay, man?" He said monotonously with a hint of concern. The jinchuriki's fit ended, leaving his throat somewhat raw and his chest a little achy.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. What's wrong with you? Coming out of no where like that! I almost died." The blonde exaggerated as he glared up at the jounin. Shikamaru shook his head and muttered about how troublesome Naruto was. He met the sapphire gaze of the genin.

"In case you didn't know, I called your name twice and it wasn't me sprinting suspiciously across roof tops in the middle of the night so I fail to see how I'm the on coming out of no where." Shikamaru said, pulling the fallen and pouting teen off the ground by his shoulder. He smiled with an unlit cigarette dangling precariously at the corner of his mouth, putting his hands in his pocket "It's good to see you in one piece, Naruto." He said warmly before continuing walking towards the way Naruto had just came.

"It's good to see you too. How ya been?" Said the blonde as he caught up to his friend and threw his arms up to intertwine his fingers behind his head. He smiled over at his slightly taller companion.

"I've been alright. Overseeing a couple of construction projects and a couple missions to gather some of the copies of the Konoha records we have stored over in the Sand. So troublesome." He let out a huff and nibbled on his cigarette's bud a little. He didn't smoke, he just liked feeling some link to Asuma. He missed the old smoker dearly. Naruto saw the emotion flash across the young Nara's face and understood he was thinking about Asuma. Feeling the need to comfort him, he clapped a hand on the other's shoulder, sending him a supportive smile.

"How are things over in the Sand? And how is Kurenai-sensei?" The blonde asked. He hadn't seen Gaara in a while nor had he seen Kurenai. He missed Gaara and hoped to visit him soon before this whole war fiasco caused all hell to break loose.

"Things are fine in the Sand. Temari and Kankuro somewhat ran the place. And Kurenai is doing well. She gave birth actually." Naruto gasped and Shikimaru smiled happily. "Yeah, the little tyke is a handful. Her name is Midori Bi Sarutobi." Naruto heard the adoration in Shikamaru's voice. Whether the jounin believed it or not, he would make a good father one day. Hell, he's already a god father.

"Green beauty? Seems like a name that would suite a kunoichi of the Leaf. Who picked it out?" Naruto asked, letting his hand go back up to his hair, rubbing it absently. He noticed they were almost back in the shopping district. A bit of hesitation lingered in his belly at the thought of the loneliness he had felt.

"I kinda pitched in the idea to name her something to honor the Sarutobi name and the Leaf. Kurenai came up with the actual name though. I figured the burden would be too troublesome on me." He shrugged lightly before gesturing over to an open BBQ restaurant. "I was heading over here to grab a bite to eat. Mom's cooking kinda sucks." He chuckled lightly. "Do you want to join? My treat?" Naruto's stomach answered for him, letting loose a grumble. He grinned sheepishly and nodded before following Shikamaru into the restaurant.

The air teemed with life and laughter as they made their way to the smaller booths in the back. Sitting down, they ordered a simple dish of raw meats and veggies as the stoked their barbeque to life.

"Thanks, Shikamaru. I'll pay for my half though." Naruto said, pulling his leg up to his chest and resting his chin on it. The warm atmosphere somewhat quelled his never-ending energy supplies and he smiled lopsidedly at his friend. "So how have Choji and Ino been? I haven't seen either of them in a while." He said, looking at Shikamaru through relaxed eyes. The teen had leaned back against the divider of the booth, hands in pockets one leg straight out, one leg bent with his foot nestled beneath the crook of his knee.

"Last I heard they were put in charge of inventory at the new warehouses. They are actually together now." Naruto sputtered at that, eyes shooting wide open from their half-closed, placid state.

"Ino and Choji?! Together?" He said incredulously as his companion nodded. "Wow. I didn't see that coming." He leaned back against his own divider as their waiter set their utensils and food down. He eagerly grabbed a couple pieces of pork and laid them out on the grill. Sure it wasn't ramen but it was food nonetheless.

"Yeah me neither. That's what's so troublesome about it." Shikamaru said laying some carrots across the grill to warm them. "I didn't notice any signs. It came out of no where. Honestly, I felt foolish not having noticed anything. I mean, they've been my teammates for years." He pulled a slightly warmed onion of the grill and plopped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"Don't beat yourself up. I wouldn't have noticed anything either." Naruto laughed, grabbing a piece of pork and dipping it in soy sauce before showing it into his gullet. "Mmmmmmm!" Naruto made a noise of pleasure before digging into another piece of meat. Shikamaru snatched a few bits off the grill before the knuckle head could eat it all.

"That doesn't comfort me." Shikamaru said, chortling softly as Naruto looked up glaring playfully at him and muttering something through his half chewed food. He stared at his food thoughtfully before saying, "It was really a surprise. I mean, they go together really well once you think about it but I had never had the need to think of my two team mates together." He bit into a piece of pork, savoring the taste as it reminded him of old times. The times when it was Asuma, Ino, Choji, and him all together, celebrating a successful mission.

"What do you mean they go together? They're complete opposites." Naruto said, rolling his eyes and shoving another bite of carroty goodness into his mouth. He spoke through his food, "Choji's an eating machine and Ino is all 'Diet this and diet that.' Choji's kinda clumsy and Ino's all girly graceful. Choji's a nice guy and Ino is a scary, fury filled she-beast! She's like Sakura but with blonde hair." Naruto recalled the many conjoined beating he's gotten from the strong, konoichi duo. They were more a like than they realized and it was just plain scary. Shikamaru smirked and shook his head.

"That's why Choji and Ino are perfect for each other. They balance and are kind of like yin and yang." He laughed a little and watched Naruto mull over what he had said. "They really would, or, well, do, make a good couple once you start thinking about it. I'm happy as long as they're happy. I couldn't see myself in a relationship but you know." He shrugged and gestured for a waitress to come over. "Two... waters?" Shikamaru looked over at his companion for confirmation that water would be fine. Naruto nodded and smiled at the brunette girl, who blushed and hurried off to get their drinks. The darker haired of the two looked over at his friend and raised an eyebrow. "Something tells me you wouldn't have any trouble with a girl though." He laughed at the reddened look of surprise on Naruto's face.

"Trust me, I'm not by any means a ladies man. I couldn't get a girl if my life depended on it." He laughed but then his voice took on a sad-tinted tone. "Hell, for as long as I can remember I've been going after Sakura and never got anywhere. I've given up on it by now, I suppose. I think of her as more of a sister now. I still love her but you know... In a friendly way." He smiled at Shikamaru, who threw him a semi-sympathetic face. "Don't look at me like that. Really. I'm over it and I've decided I'll just be me. The forever single Naruto. Dating isn't really an important ninja aspect. It's nice to have someone to have that kinda bond with I guess but friends are just as good. If not better. Don't worry about me." He grinned brightly, remembering something. "Worry about you and Temari." Naruto winked at his startled friend.

"What the hell do you mean? There's nothing going on between me and Temari." The uncomfortable aura around Shikamaru at the mention of the sassy Sand woman gave away his true thoughts on the situation despite the denying he was doing. Naruto smirked, knowing how to catch the relationship-ly deficit jonin off guard.

"So you're saying you don't enjoy Temari's company? Well I'll have to tell her that. Poor girl..." He shook his head in mock woefulness.

"What? No, no. That's not what I meant at all." Shikamaru put his hands up and got a slightly worried look on his face. Naruto knew he had him.

"So you DO enjoy her company, eh?" He smirked and pointed at Shikamaru, childishly saying, "Shikamaru and Temari sittin' in a-"

"Shut up! Troublesome idiot..." Shikamaru interrupted. Naruto laughed loudly, grabbing his sides as a blush dusted Shikamaru's cheeks. The jonin glared at the boy who was practically falling over in hysterics at his expense but that only succeeded in making the blonde laugh harder. "Just eat your damn food." Shikamaru said ruefully, biting into a piece of beef, glaring at his feet, and aware of the redness of his face. Naruto finally quit laughing and wiped the tears of laughter away from his eyes as the waitress came back with their water. They thanked her and drank the water happily. The hot restaurant atmosphere was really dehydrating for some reason. They ate in comfortable silence and when they finished the called for the check and walked out into the calm night.

"Thanks for the food. It was a good welcome home dinner." Naruto said, grinning and stretching his arms high above his head. "To tell you the truth I wasn't having the best of days today. Tsunade baa-chan isn't going to let me join the war." Naruto quickly glanced at Shikamaru, hoping the jonin had already heard about the war and wasn't going to flip. To his relief, Shikamaru nodded and didn't seem surprised.

"No need, man. And yeah, the war... I think Lady Hokage is correct in no letting you go Naruto." Naruto opened his mouth to protest but Shikamaru continued, "It would be safer for you to be hidden away from the Akatsuki. If they got a hold of you, we'd all be destroyed." The brunette reasoned, looking over at his friend. Naruto had his head hung, hair covering his eyes with his lips pressed thinly together. The blonde didn't respond and stayed silent for a long time as they walked in no particular direction through the village. Eventually, Shikamaru whispered, "Naruto?" The blonde didn't stir from his silence at first and Shikamaru began to think that he had really struck a nerve with the knuckle head. He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and stopped them both in the light of someone's window. The blonde looked over at Shikamaru with eyes so intense that he almost stepped back. He looked as if he was on the verge of tears as well as on the verge of a rage.

"I'm not useless..." Said the genin, a fearsome, dark undertone to his voice. He shook off Shikamaru's hand and turned away. He jumped back onto the rooftops and sped away, leaving his companion to stare at the fading silhouette with a mixture of shock and confusion. The jonin didn't follow after the boy, sensing that this wasn't just a small endeavor. He put his hands in his pocket and started walking home. 'Naruto... You troublesome idiot. You are a hero. How could he possibly think you're useless?', Shikamaru thought to himself, shaking his head.

Naruto was pissed. 'Why does EVERYONE think it's best to just hide me away? I'm strong enough to fight my own goddamn battle. I don't need to be hidden away, coddled, and protected like some child. I saved the village nearly single-handedly and still I'm treated like a helpless toddler.' Naruto raged in his mind, pounding across the rooftops in a beeline for the forest. He wanted to run. He wanted to run and not look back. 'God, it's so infuriating! I'm not helpless and I deserve to be out on the battlefield with my friends protecting the will of fire just like everyone else.' Naruto leapt off a final roof ridge and landed hard on the forest floor. He ignored the protesting of his knees and straightened up to continue sprinting forward. He had no idea where he was going. He just knew he wanted to run. Run far and run fast. 'Where am I supposed to run to? I have no home. Now more than ever, I have no home. Will the problems never cease?' A wave of loneliness hit him. 'My problems are the people around me. I need to run from them. They're trying to hide me away. Alienate me more then I already am.' Trees whipped past him in a blur and he began to draw on reserves of the Kyuubi's chakra to push him farther and faster. 'If I'm not there fighting beside them, they're going to think I'm a useless coward. If I don't prove that I can protect them then they'll hate me again. They'll give me those looks. Those hate filled looks...' Tears began to sting his eyes and drops of salty emotion flared out into the cold night air, disappearing into the dark.

Somewhere deep inside of the hurting boy, the slumbering fox began to stir. He felt the pull on his chakra and wondered what was going on outside in the real world. He rose onto his feet and stretched idly. Feeling the bones and muscles of his body loosen and tighten comfortably, he walked towards the gate of his barrier. He closed his eyes and tried to connect with his container. A wave of anger and sadness hit him causing the link to break as he opened his eyes in surprise. 'What the hell has happened? That dumb kid is probably off getting our body all fucked up again...', he thought ruefully. He closed his black orbs again, repairing the channel. The wave of emotion hit him again and he began to see through the small human's eyes. Trees rushed past and the image was blurred. Almost as if the child was crying.

_Kit? _The fox called. Naruto was unprepared for the sudden voice in his mind and lost his footing. He fell onto his face and groaned in pain. He didn't rise from his fallen state though. He just laid there, the tears now flowing freely from his eyes. The dirt beneath his cheek dampened and he remembered the voice belonged to the Nine Tails. He felt like his body had lost all it's will to move. All it's will to get up and run. He just felt drained and listless.

"What do you want, fox?" The blonde said bitterly. "Just leave me alone." His voice cracked when he said alone and a new wave of tears dripped from his eyes. He pulled himself up onto his hands and knees, watching the proof of his weakness pooling before him on the ground. 'Dammit. Dammit. Dammit!' He scrubbed at the tears and stifled a hiccup. "I thought you weren't gonna talk to me, you bipolar bastard?" He felt pathetic knowing that Kyuubi knew he was crying and was seeing him this way. He was so weak... 'Kami, I feel like I have a power complex like HIM... Sasuke...' Tears came faster down his face. He punched the ground with as much force as he could muster, leaving a large imprint in the ground beneath his now bleeding knuckles. 'Dammit. I couldn't even fucking save Sasuke. I couldn't bring him home. What is the use of all this training is I can't even bring one person home. Can't save one goddamned person.' Naruto sat back on his ankles and let out an angry, desolate cry. He stared up at the sky and watched how once again things became bleak and grey. The stars disappeared, the moon dimmed, the shadows lengthened, and the colors dulled. Everything lost it's luster. His whole being screamed of hopelessness, an unspoken need for salvation in someone who thought he needed none.

The fox watched the night through the blonde's eyes, listened to the desperate thoughts racing through his container's brain, and felt a deep, stirring pity within himself. He had never been fond of any human but he found himself becoming fond of this one. 'Stockholm syndrome much?', he thought ruefully, trying to think of a way to console the kit. He knew what he had said before and how he had yelled at the boy but he felt compelled to be kind to the child. The waves of sadness and isolation rolling off the boy was causing his tails and ears to lay limply against him in a way he could only describe as empathetic. _Kit... I felt you pull on my chakra so I wanted to come check on you. I... _The fox wanted to say sorry but his ego got in the way. Apologizing to a human is degrading of an ancient being such as himself.

"Why? It's not as if you care, murderer." Naruto said coldly, glaring at the dim moon. 'No one cares... They care about what they get. They selfishly take. What have I received?' He scoffed at the sky, his nails dug into the ground. 'I've received hate and pain and fake admiration.' He felt more of those betraying, briny liquid flowing from the corners of his eyes. He looked down from the dark blanket above and pushed himself off the ground. With a sigh, he walked beneath a tree and leapt onto one of it's branches, settling his back against the trunk. Naruto was glad he couldn't see the sky anymore through the thick canopy above. It only reminded him of how bleak the world could be.

_You've gained power. That's what you have been given. _The fox said, laughing at how childish the boy was being. 'He should just go on a rampage. That's what I would do,' thought the fox, chuckling darkly. Naruto felt a chill run down his spine at the sound echoing around his head. He glared at nothing, feeling rage swell inside him for not only the villagers and how life had dealt him a terrible hand but also for the demonic being dwelling deep within himself.

"Oh you mean the power I steal from you? The power that's murdered hundreds of thousands? The power that killed mine and Iruka-sensei's parents? You mean that power?" Naruto yelled into the darkness. A feeling of pure desolation surrounded his heart. His parents... He recalled a memory from long, long ago.

Flash back

Seven year old Naruto ran through the streets, pail of paint in one hand, pain brush in the other. He heard the cries of surprise and shouts of anger from behind him. He laughed loudly, speeding up to get away from the angered adults. He knew what he did was wrong but it was oh so fun and people noticed him when he pulled pranks and did outlandish things. He liked being noticed. It felt nice to know someone's attention was on him whether it was for good or bad reasons. He slowed to a walk and began swinging the pail happily down a quiet, residential looked up at the sunset sky and smiled big.

"The sky is so pretty." He said, bemusedly. He skipped a little looking at the different colors the atmosphere was painted. Pink, purple, orange... He didn't think the sky was ever ugly. It was the sky. It was bright blue and beautiful most of the time. At other times it held rainbows of colors like today. Even when it was storming outside, the sky still looked beautiful. Even though it was kinda scary when it was dark and gray outside but Naruto would never admit he was scared. His thoughts about the sky were interrupted by a call from a woman standing at the door way to one of the houses. Naruto stopped to watch a boy rush back to his mother.

"You forgot something!" Said the mother playfully, pushing her younger son gently out the door to her older son. She handed them both a boxed lunch as the smaller child jumped over to clutch his brother.

"Oops. What did you make for lunch?" Said the older brunette boy, his sibling saying something about hoping there were omelets in there. The mother laughed like the tinkle of tiny bells, smiling at her boys lovingly. She reassured them there were plenty of omelets and other goodies in there for them. They thanked her, each kissing her on the cheek before they ran off hand in hand to where ever they were going. Naruto felt a pain in his chest and wondered what it would be like to have a mother like that. Someone who made him a lunch and sent him off to school every morning with a kiss and a hug. He felt envious of the two boys that slowly were disappearing down the road.

"Be careful!" She called after them, waving happily. She lowered her hand and seemed to notice she was being watched. She turned, her own brunette hair wavering in the wind. Instantly, as she caught sight of the small bright haired child, her face screwed up in disgust. Her eyes went from a loving, happy look to cold and hate filled look. Naruto took a step back at the sudden change, a small quiver ran through his lips. That look was one he was used to. Everyone looked at him like that. They hated him and he didn't know why. Yeah, he pulled pranks but he didn't think that was any reason to hate him. He felt so isolated and alienated when people gave him that look...

The woman flipped her hair and turned back into her house, slamming the door with finality. Naruto flinched at the loud noise and hung his head. He wanted to understand why he was so hated. He just wanted to understand.

With a heavy heart, the poor boy made his way back to his lonely apartment, knowing the Hokage was supposed to be coming by soon to give him his living expenses. He reached his sparsely decorated residence, kicking off his shoes and setting about changing and tidying up. The Hokage showed up to find Naruto sitting on the kitchen counter, his tiny feet swinging back and forth. The old man looked around the room seeing it had been cleaned and nodded before handing the small child an envelope.

"This is for the month's living expenses. Spend it wisely." Sarutobi said, walking towards the door, knowing it was rude of him to leave so quickly but he had important matters to attend to. A small hand grabbed his sleeve stopping him. He turned to see a troubled look spread across his young ward's face. "Yes?" The boy seemed to struggle with his words for a moment before saying in a soft, sad voice;

"Why don't I have a mom and dad?" The Hokage was startled by the out of the blue question. He composed his face and laid a wrinkled hand on the boys head.

"Didn't I tell you before?" He began. "Although it was quite sometime ago-"

"That's not what I want to hear! You're talking about when that beast called the Nine Tails Fox Spirit ran a muck, right?" The boy interrupted, shaking the aged hand off his hair, his voice small but powerful. He lowered his head, staring at his still dangling little feet. "And that a lot of people in the village were killed, including my mom and dad..." He seemed on the verge of tears but then looked back up with sapphire eyes ablaze with a heat unlike to his normal cheery, sparkling orbs. "Well, that's not what I'm asking about! I just want to know... Who were they? What kind of people were they?" The boy sprang down from the counter. His arms out wide in frustration, conveying his need to know the truth. He felt so confused and curious about the mystery of his parents. He needed answers. The Hokage stared at him. He knew he couldn't disclose anything about Naruto's parents. It would reveal truths that the boy was not old enough to burden. He closed his eyes and turned away.

"There's no use asking about that." He said, trying to put gentle certitude to his voice but knowing it would sound cold all the same to the young, befuddled adolescent. "It won't bring the dead back."

The door closed behind the old man and Naruto stared with wide, broken eyes that soon filled with unushed tears. 'I just want to know about my mommy and daddy...' A sob broke through his tiny lips and he ran to his bed. The only family he knew, the third Hokage, had just walked out on him. His little heart felt like it was breaking. 'So this is what it feels like to be truly alone.'

"I hate it."

End of Flashback

He remembered that day vividly. He remembered the pain. The hateful look from the woman. The whispered insults of the vandalized villagers. The cold way the third had left him questioning. He remembered the loneliness. He hated that feeling. For a long time he hadn't felt that feeling but as of the past few days, that was the only thing he could feel. That lonely feeling. And he hated it. Hate, hate, hated it. Naruto felt his anger boil over, the old memory having stirred his irrational emotions.

"How stupid do you think I am? Why would I be proud of something like this? Why? You killed my only family with this power! And don't you dare say I don't know what I'm talking about! I know full well what I'm talking about. You have done nothing but hurt people. You hurt every chance you get. Do you even care about anything? Do you realize how much pain you cause?" He stopped and laughed in a crazed way, bitter tears welling in his eyes. "No... You like the pain you bring. You're a sick, twisted bastard and you like it! You fucking like it! How pathe-" His rant was cut short by a roar of enraged emotions from inside himself. He instinctually covered his ears but doing so couldn't block out noise from his furious tenant. He felt dizzy and nearly fell from the tree, the loud outburst throwing his equilibrium for a whirl.

_Don't you dare call me pathetic, you fucking brat! You have no idea what you're talking about, Kit! It wasn't my goddamned fault! _The fox thundered, slamming his paws onto the ground of his cell. He knew the child didn't know what he was talking about and was only going on what had been told to him since birth but he was really sick of getting accused by a weak human. He felt his body becoming livid in anger. The very idea of a human brat talking down to him, the great Nine Tail fox! He couldn't help the animosity he felt towards the clueless, mislead punk when being accused in such a way.

"How the hell do I not know what I'm talking about? How the hell is killing hundreds and hundreds of innocents not your fucking fault? How? HOW?" Naruto shouted, exasperatedly. He waved his arms in front of him out of habit when he was upset. He felt a wave of indignation, irritation, and indecisiveness roll off of the fox through their strange connection. Silence stretched for a long time as the container waited for an answer. He was nervous. The encouraging vitality he had held moments ago was sucked away by the notably loud quiet. He realized he was trying to go against a powerful and ancient being. He wouldn't win this argument and decided it was better just to give the fox the win and be done without. 'Why not give a little more of myself away. Not like it will ever change.' He opened his mouth to tell the hushed being that we didn't care about arguing anymore and just wanted the fox to shut up and leave. However, he was quickly interrupted.

_Come into your inner world, little kitsune. Let me explain to you what I mean. But if you insult me, I swear to Kami, I will make your death slow and painful. _The demon snarled, his tails tails flickering around his body as he restrained the urge to scream at the idiot ninja. He wanted to be diplomatic to the boy. In truth, he was lonely. He missed roaming free, dueling with the other tailed beasts, even watching the humans scuttle about in their tiny villages when he passed by. He didn't feel the urge to destroy the villages at random anymore. Sure, he'd give anything to murder the humans who sealed him away and took his freedom. He thirsted for their blood like there was no tomorrow. It had felt good to be released a little when the boy had fought against that orange haired Akatsuki member. He had gotten out so much pent up energy and rage that he felt almost peaceful when he had been pushed back into the seal's cell. He had gone with very little fight. Often the red eyed fox had wondered why he hadn't just broken free and ran wild again but somehow he always came down to the conclusion that he would miss the spazzoid, knuckle-head ninja. Putting aside his dwindling need for destruction wasn't so bad. Swishing his tails expectantly, the fox waited for the seemingly shell shocked boy to do as he had asked.

Naruto was taken aback. He hadn't been expecting this reply. He had been expecting more yelling, maybe even nothing. However, the patient undertone to the monster's threatening, acidic voice that some how quelled some of the reserves the boy had for closing his eyes and entering his sewer-like internal sanctuary. He knew he could leave the grimy place if need be. He was curious of the fox's words from both now and earlier. So cautiously, the orange clad teen talked through the tunnels of his body, finding the large, cavernous room that contained the Nine Tails. The demon was always an impressive sight. The bright red eyes and reddish orange fur always reminded him of how much he stood out with his striking blonde hair and gawdy, orange jumper.

A red miasma leaked out of the cage ghosting over Naruto's feet. It was warm and it made Naruto want to feel relaxed, which only made him stare up at the barred prisoner with suspicion. The fox had laid down with his paws crossed in front of him, his massive head resting on them. He almost looked serene despite with blazing aura around him and the ever moving appendages curling and uncurling from his backside.

_Come here, kit. Sit in front of my... cage. _Kyuubi spat the last word like it was bile but seemed hospitable, nonetheless. Slowly, Naruto made his way to the gate of the jail, seating himself cross legged roughly two feet from the bars. The water that normally lingered in the room was gone, leaving the floor comfortably dry and strangely warm. The teen placed his hands on his knees and looked up at his mischievous companion. _Good, child. Now where to start..._ The fox truly had only one way to explain it and it wasn't very good. With a deep, scolding breathe, the fox said simply, _I don't remember what happened. _Naruto stared blankly at the demon.

"So you called me down here just to feed me some dumb lie? Are you fucking serious?" He deadpanned, face scrunched up in displeasure. "What kind of idiot do you think I am? You expect me to believe you don't reme-" Again he was cut off, though this time without the roar.

_Kid, shut the fuck up and listen. _The teen shut his mouth, staring at the tailed beast with a mix of animosity and curiosity. Satisfied the boy would be silent, Kyuubi continued. _I don't remember very much at least. I remember a man in an orange mask. I don't imagine you know him but he was Uchiha Madara, a supposedly long dead and powerful man from the Leaf Village's history. Him and that goddamned Sharingan awoke me. I had been asleep for a very long time it seemed. Long enough to have had another female jinchuriki after the first woman they sealed me away in. I have no idea who my second jinchurki was. It's actually rather frustrating not knowing who the fuck I was residing in for nearly twenty five years. I don't imagine you know who it was, huh, Kit?_ The fox stared at the boy who shook his head carefully.

"No. I don't but you met Madara? He's around again. He's coming after me and another jinchuriki from the Hidden Cloud village! There's a whole war starting and-"

_Yes, yes. I heard everything you were ranting about earlier while you were running. I know the story, Kit. _The fox interjected, chuckling softly at the scowl that spread across the boy's face at being talked down to. _Anyway, everything went black after that. I didn't regain conscious until the first time you tapped into my chakra. I don't remember attacking your village. It wasn't my fault what happened. I was used as a mere puppet by that fucking bastard, Uchiha!_ His hair bristled violently around his body. All Uchiha's were manipulative, disgusting scum. The fox was happy the whole clan was wiped out, well with the exception of the two Uchiha brothers and Madara. He wished those three were dead too. 'Oh wait... The elder of the two brothers is dead isn't he?', the fox thought to himself wickedly. 'Oh yes he is... Heh, wonderful.' Turning his red eyes to the teen once more he noticed the blonde looked confused. 'A look that's common for him I assume,' thought the now snickering beast. _I don't have any idea what happened in that time span so if you would so kindly, quit your fucking bitching and stop blaming me, you little, impudent brat. _He said, some of the vice returning to his gravely voice. He watched the little being carefully, knowing it was something that was hard to wrap your head around._  
_

'How can that be?' Naruto thought to himself in disbelief. 'Madara CAN control the tailed beasts but... How is it possible that no one knows it was Madara?' A memory of Mizuki telling him he was the jinchuriki flashed through his mind's eye. Every villager had been able to keep secret that he was the jinchuriki till he was twelve. 'The few officials that would know about Madara could easily keep it secret. I mean it's not like they're not adept at manipulation.', Naruto thought in a disgruntle tone. 'That would means I've been blaming the demon for something he didn't do. Yes he's not really the nicest guy but I doubt I would be either if I was locked in someone a hundred times smaller than me...' The blonde looked up at the fox and felt a wave of guilt. 'So he's not all that bad after all? Just... misunderstood.' The ninja nodded, knowing giving the other the benefit of the doubt would be the right thing to do. 'Always see the good in everyone.'

"Fox... I'm sorry." Naruto said warily. "I didn't realize... But with Madara's ability to manipulate tailed beasts... I'm sorry, Kyuubi. I had no idea." He got up, cautiously walking over to the gate bars. When his fingers touched the cold metal, he looked up at the demon and smiled. "You know, Kyuubi? If you'd just become a little less of a sadist, I think we could be friends. Strange friends but still friends." He truly wanted to be friends with his inner monster. He knew that the fox was... well, an ass! But that's really never stopped Naruto before and he owed the fox quite a bit for much of his progress. The beast above him let out a roaring laugh that shook the whole room. Naruto covered his ears again. The laughter died down to a rasping whisper and the Nine Tails looked down at his blonde haired companion with mirth.

_Sure, kid. Sure. Now leave me. You're stupidity is making me tired._ The fox laughed again and turned away, disappearing into the dark of his cage. Naruto glared at his silhouette, breaking the link between him and his inner world. He stared out at the dark cloaked world and sighed happily. He had made a new and unlikely friend. It was something he did a lot and each time he felt a feeling of accomplishment. 'Even if they do all leave me or use me...' Naruto shook his head, refusing to feel depressed right now.

"Goodnight, Kyuubi." He said, settling from the tree onto the ground, deciding here was just as good a place as any to sleep tonight. He'd go to Tsunade in the morning for temporary housing papers. He yawned, curling onto his side.

_Goodnight, kit._ Called the fox as Naruto drifted into a sporadic slumber. Again the raven haunted his dreams. Why raven?

* * *

ALRIGHT! So that was Chapter 2 :3 I hope you guys liked it. This Chapter was really to set the mood of the fic and build up the characters a bit. Thank you to my reviewer and my follower :3 And to anyone who reads this, please leave me a LITTLE feedback. Pwease :3

Not sure if I'm going to do a Sasuke Chapter next or another Naruto Chapter. Hmmmm... Votes? :3


	3. Sunrise

Sooooo here is a Sasuke character building Chapter! :3 And a Tobi/Madara/Obito plot building chapter as well. Oh and ps... _Naruto and Sasuke meet in this one_ ;) No yaoi yet though. Or is there .-.

I'll try not to make it too OOC but I mean... It's a spin off of the main plot with a different plot line now so... There kinda has to be OOCness . Anyway please enjoy! Suggestions are welcome but I do have a pretty mapped out view of how this should go sooo... But still feel free! Review and follow, chillun!

**Spoiler moment!**

Okay so I was doing research to make sure this chapter stuck to facts and oh my god... Obito and Madara? Partners O.O Whoa! o.o Madara's not really Madara? Madara is dead? Obito is actually Tobi? O.O Oh... My... God... I just... Oh My God! Naruto creators... You bitches are twisted geniuses and I LOVE IT!

**MUY** **IMPORTANTE!**

**So instead of calling Tobi Madara I'm going to call him Obito. Remember no one else knows about it yet! So other people will call him Madara still! Meaning also I'm going to make Obito's thoughts a bit less wicked than if they were Madara's because Obito actually only wants to bring a world without war around. So he's actually not that bad he's just not doing it the right way...**

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Deep underground, hidden away from the rest of the world, Sasuke regained consciousness. His head throbbed and he could hardly move up. The pain radiated from his eyes, making them difficult to open. It felt as is a thousand kunai were being thrusted through his eye sockets. Groaning in pain, he tried to look around the room but could not. The soreness from the surgery surged into his brain with vigor. Knowing that he was blind and helpless for the next few moments angered him to no end for he felt the presence of his elder close by. The dark haired boy sat up slowly, rubbing his hand over his forehead. The stressed beads of sweat made themselves known to his fingertips. 'Disgusting,' he thought to himself. 'I need to bathe.'

"So Sasuke-kun, how do you feel?" Came a voice like an acid dripping viper, slipping into Sasuke's brain and coiling around his waning sanity. Sasuke hated that voice with a burning passion and knew that, just like Orochimaru, the man behind the voice only wanted to use him. Though, he found that he didn't really care as long as his needs were met and his goals were fulfilled. 'As long as I can take down the leaf and that idiot...' He felt the presence of the vile being draw near and damned his eyesight for not returning quicker.

A swirled, orange mask appeared from the darkness and loomed over the still awakening teen. A mouth curled into a cruel smirk behind a porcelain cover-up. 'Such a good little pawn,' thought the holder of enslaved supposedly peaceful dreams. 'Madara would be proud of how well all this is going.' Truly, Obito couldn't have been more elated when his little pale puppet had asked for his dead sibling's eyes. It made his little toy only that much stronger. Though... As if he'd need him once the ten-tails is completed. 'As soon as I get the last two tailed beasts, our plan will be complete, my lord. Just wait for your resurrection.' Obito pulled himself from his inner musings to examine his young relative. He looked into his chakra flow, seeing that the points behind the boy's eyes were swelled. His smirk turned to a thin line. 'Not good...'

Sasuke brushed his hand through his hair and scrubbed it over his face, the sound of the elder Uchiha's voice grated against his ears in a way that stoked his fury ablaze. Carefully, he opened his eyes. The dim lighting of the room hurt and caused him to slightly cringe. He knew something was not right.

"I think there is a complication." The teen said. He heard his elder grunt in response and knew he was going to move closer. Instinctually, he edged away, caution being the best policy around the maniacal man. A chuckle resonated through the small room.

"Sasuke-kun, are you scared? I'm only going to check your surgery results." Sasuke still continued to edge away, hating his blind state. This uncertainty of his surroundings wasn't difficult. After all, he could fight blinded. But it still wasn't his favorite thing as he was still drowsy from the surgery."Or would you rather me get Kabuto to look in on you?" Sasuke nearly hissed in resentment, Orochimaru's serpent tendencies taking their disgusting toll on him. He had spent far too many years around that man and his servant alone. The raven didn't want to have that white haired snake bastard anywhere near him. Especially if he wasn't in top condition. Who knew what secret experiments he would inflict upon him secretly. Jealous Kabuto would do anything to get rid of Sasuke. On many occasions, he had found plans in Kabuto's private studies. Plans on his life, plans on his power. Oh how rich it was to see the bastard punished by Orochimaru for trying to harm his little Uchiha. Though it urcked and disgusted him to think that Orochimaru had such a sick obsession over him, it brought him joy to know Kabuto would suffer. 'Those were the days, indeed.' He shivered at the thought of that goddamned copycat, slithering freak coming anywhere near him at any point in time.

Knowing the boy would sooner die before letting Yakushi touch him, Obito stepped over to the now still Sasuke and put his hands on his matted black hair. He sent a surge of chakra through his system, feeding it to the ward's own system. The energy flew through easily till it hit the eye sockets. Sasuke let out a gasp of pain and pulled away from Obito. With a shake of his head, the elder pulled away and crossed his arms.

"Your body is trying to reject the eyes. I must try and stop the swelling of your chakra points. If I counter the spin in them, it might cancel out the blockage. Please let me do so, Sasuke-kun." The elder Uchiha explained, watching his relative thinking it over. A nod encouraged his arms to unfold and his charged finger tips to rest on Sasuke's temples. A sweat had taken the boy and Obito knew it was the pain that caused him to persiperate so. Having only slight hesitancy for his companion's pain sensors, he worked his way into the tense points behind the eyes. Sounds of discomfort echoed throughout the otherwise silent cavern. "Hai, your chakra isn't mixing with the last bit of Itachi's left in the eyes. Your spins are different so they're butting against each other. I can't tamper with Itachi's too much so I'll have to inject some of my same spin energy into your's. That will take quite a bit of a toll on your body so be prepared." Sasuke nodded again and with it, Obito proceeded to work. The slow flow of new energy began to stab like swords, working it's way against the lightning energy of his companion.

The pain was instantaneous. Sasuke felt like all his frame was being grated. It was excruciating and only beginning. Lava was being poured through his entity, he was sure. He felt dizzy and forced himself to be still. He could not succumb to the pain. That would be pathetic. It would be weak. And that was something Sasuke simply wasn't. However the pain grew unbearable. The raven wavered and Obito knew the boy was on the edge of fainting. He let out a cackle. 'Fainting like a little girl, ne, Sasuke?', he thought to himself. Quickly he sent a final large surge of chakra through the boy, hoping it fixed the problem but knowing it would be too much for Sasuke.

As predicted, Sasuke let out a mangled and slightly smothered cry of pain and fell down onto the sheets of his cot, unconscious. His black out was quick and he only felt the pain for a moment before being surrounded by unaware darkened bliss. Obito chuckled down at him again. The child would have a fit, if he were in proper health, at the fact he was being laughed at. Or at least his equivalent of a fit. Which was a red death glare with a thin lined grimace and a dramatic 'Hn'.

"Such an angry kid. Honestly, he and Itachi take the infamous pride of our clan to a whole new level." The elder said exasperatedly, making a disgusted face as he wiped Sasuke's sweat from his hands. He made note to send one of the white Zetsus here with a water basin and towels. The boy would be needing a bath.

With that, he turned. The impending darkness consumed him as he walked away from the shadow cutting power of his ward's flame lit lamp. Twisting hallways and corridors led him to the room where his other ally took residence. Kabuto sat cross legged on the dirt floor a circular symbol on the floor.

"Busy, Kabuto-kun?" Obito said, jumping up to a ledge in the cavernous rock room. He stared down intently at the concentrating man, wondering what he was up to. Considering the power circulating around him slowly and seeping into the earth, he was preforming a kinjutsu. Most likely a summoning one. For what purpose was puzzling however. Kabuto had already mastered the jutsu and any of it's sort. 'It's what the freaky obsessive bastard spends every moment of his free time doing after all,' Obito thought to himself, snickering outwardly causing his counterpart to give him a suspicious glare.

"Silence yourself and you will see, dear partner.", jeered the white haired man. The intensity in the liquid-like force surrounding him rose, making the air buzz. It drained into the ground quicker and suddenly a single wooden coffin appeared. From it came an all too familiar being.

"You have summoned Itachi? Why?" Questioned Obito. Kabuto chuckled and rose, walking towards Itachi, who blindly stared into nothingness. "You didn't summon his soul? Just his corpse?", he questioned further, hopping off his ledge and coming closer. He saw the scaley man put his hand on the dead Uchiha's forehead and began to prod with his chakra. Though his cockyness and superior aura faded quickly as he noticed something infuriating about the being before him. He grunted in frustration and pulled away.

"How dare he..." Kabuto hissed, looking over to the orange mask boss of sorts. "I summoned Itachi's body in order to check his chakra flow. With most of my higher power pawns to make sure they're accessible and in top shape. But it seems that this one's inactive. But that's not possible which means he tampered with his own body before dying." Kabuto seethed. Itachi had known his body would be put to use. Kabuto couldn't stand how over protective of their secrets Uchiha's were. It was like trying to open a locked door every goddamned step of the way. It pissed him off and now his rage only continued to grow. 'This clan is a plague on my existence.', he thought scathingly. Obito smirked at the frustration on his companion's face.

"Meaning it would be dangerous and unwise to use him on the battlefield, ne? What a shame." The Uchiha laughed as Orochimaru's henchman growled, irritated, and sealed Itachi's body away again.

"Indeed. However, I need him to be Nagato's partner. In any case I can reseal him quickly. I'll keep a close eye on him in battle." He said, trying to reason out a strategy for the dead duo in his mind. Then another Uchiha peeked into his thought process. "How is little Sasuke?" Kabuto strolled over and jumped up to the ridge Obito had once been on and the other man soon joined him.

"There were some complications with the chakras mixing but I added my own to counter it. It's only our luck that we are all of the same clan and our energy readings are similar. I'm more than sure I fixed the problem." Obito said. Their plan was nearly at it's climax and it was stupefying. For decades he had been awaiting the occurrences that were about to play out. It has been many years since Madara found him dying beneath that rock, years since he had given Kakashi his eye, years since his beautiful Rin had died, and years since he had finally accepted Madara's view on peace. Now that decision was changing the entire shinobi world. It was both humbling and exhilarating.

"Hai, good." Kabuto said. Silence ensued between the two for they both were deep in thought, one in reminiscent awe and one in strategic calculation.

xXxXx

Sasuke tossed and turned in his sleep, a bad dream that couldn't quite count as a nightmare overtaking him. The pain in his head had ceased and now an aching familiar hurt in his chest had grown.

In his dream, Sasuke stood in a Tsukuyomi like room. It was black and white. The sheer colorless quality of the room sent shivers down his spine. A mirror was the lone piece of furniture in the room. He walked up to where it hung and stared at the reflection. It wasn't him. Or well it wasn't him now.

His younger eight year old self stared back at him with sad eyes. Blood was splattered across his cheek haphazardly and Sasuke reached up instinctually to wipe his own cheek. His doppelganger copied him. To his complete surprise, there was actually blood on his cheek. A horrified feeling crept into his body. He knew not where the crimson liquid had come from. It felt hot and sticky. The sensation echoed of discord.

Eyes wide, he looked back to the mirror image of himself. A gasp escaped his lips at what he saw. A replay of a time long past was moving in slow motion behind the younger Sasuke. A shadowy figure was slicing through people one after another. Tears from the being mixed with blood. Blood... It was everywhere. It littered the bodies on the floor and decorated the walls like a crimson war paint. The smell of death was nearly tangible. The figure was standing over two bodies suddenly. His sword dripped with fresh life essence. He was staring directly at the two Sasukes with eyes a lit with the fires of hell. The look sent ice through ones veins like a Land of Iron stream.

Suddenly, eight year old Sasuke lept from the mirror and grabbed hold of his elder counterpart. He melted into the other and a scream of agony rang through the colorless room. Elder Sasuke became young Sasuke and his world seemed to grow. He looked down at his now childlike hands and gripped at his hair. The pure feeling of confusion and fear that over took him befuddled his senses to no end. He looked around frantic and backed away from the mirror where the shadowy figure still stared, it's eyes making him feel as if he was doing something terribly wrong. They gazed at him with pity, disappointment, and hurt. They scolded him like the child he now was. They berated him with a feeling of guilt.

Sasuke didn't understand and he let out another weak cry as his back hit the solid wall behind him. He felt panicked as the room began to shrink. The four walls closed in on him and his breathing began to falter then speed up to hyperventilating speed. He beat against the closest wall but it didn't budge, not even a little. The walls moved closer and the mirror shattered, sending shards of glass flying at him. He couldn't open his mouth to cry out for help. Just as the kunai-like objects were about to pierce his skin, a pale hand sprouted from the empty frame of the mirror. It beckoned him and without a thought, he grabbed hold of it, not feeling the glass fragments sliding through him and smashing against the far wall.

He was falling now, falling through what seemed to be orange and yellow clouds. The shadowy figure from before, now looking something like his brother, holding his hand and descending with him. The warm feeling that crept up his hand made his heart swell. The feelings of confusion disappeared. Now he felt something he thought he had long since forgotten. He didn't name it. He wouldn't name it. He couldn't name it...

Itachi smiled at him and let go of his hand. He put two fingers onto Sasuke's forehead in a comforting way then vanished. The younger brother looked around frantically, his little white shorts and loose blue shirt swashing around him fervently. He cried out for his brother. Over and over he called. No one answered.

The clouds around him turned a stormy grey and out of no where he hit the ground. Strangely, it didn't hurt. Rolling himself over to his back and looked around. He was in a deserted area with a cracked sandy surface. Gloomy beings appeared in a crowd before him. They whispered in a chorus. He couldn't make out a single word but the aura around them was dark purple with hate and displeasure. They all seemed to be staring at something behind him. He turned cautiously and what he saw left him shell shocked.

There was Naruto. In a green shirt and khaki shorts, looking to be about eight years old. He was crying and glaring at the horde of naysayers in front of him. Sasuke crawled onto his hands and knees and stood up. Naruto seemed to grow, turning into a twelve year old with a Leaf headband and a gawdy orange jumpsuit. Sasuke had always found that color annoying and too bright but now... All he felt was endearment for it. Seeing it made a feeling of home sickness blossom in his chest. Twelve year old Naruto was staring at the crowd with sparkling blue eyes alight with defiance and a grin the size of the sun. Then he became seventeen year old Naruto, wearing his orange and black jumpsuit. His hand was on his hip and he had his hand held out. Those bright sapphire orbs were focused solely on Sasuke.

The crowd behind him vanished and he felt undeniably drawn to Naruto. The blonde beckoned him and smiled brightly. He wanted to go to his... his bestfriend. He wanted to so bad. It tugged at his heart strings and his gut. But he didn't go. He wouldn't go. He couldn't go. Slowly, Sasuke shook his head and he saw Naruto deflate instantly. It was almost like snuffing out the sun. Naruto fell to his knees with his face in his hands, a loud sob broke out of his body. The black haired rouge ninja ran to his friend but it seemed the longer he ran, the farther away his bestfriend was. He felt hopeless. He cried out and reached for him.

All of a sudden, the Nine Tails appeared from Naruto's body and glared down at Sasuke, stopping him in his tracks. The beast opened his muzzle and roared. He dove towards Sasuke.

The boy shot up in his bed, breathing heavy. Sweat poured down his body and tears rushed down his face. His now working eyes frantically gazed around the room as his hands clamped down on the sheets. Adrenaline slowly died down as he realized it was all only a dream.

Begrudgingly, he scrubbed at the salty streams and rose from his confining, damp bed. He stumbled slightly and leaned against the cool, rock wall. His head swam and his chest hurt. He gripped at it and hunched over a little. Naruto flashed through his mind quickly and his chest ached even more. He rested his head heavily on the stone beside him, trying to clear his mind.

"Dammit.", he whispered, punching the wall and watching it let off dust and pebbles. He couldn't think of his bestfriend... He couldn't. It shook his resolve. "Naruto... You fucking idiot." He always struggled with these feelings. Whenever Naruto came into his thoughts, all his willpower seemed to falter. Being in the same room with him made him feel guilty. It made him want to run back to the Leaf- NO. It made him want to run back to Naruto. Kami, he hated this. He... He missed Naruto... He missed the only person since his brother to make him feel needed. "God, I'm pathetic... weak and pathetic." He slid down the wall and put his head in his hands. "Naruto..." He had been so heartless to Naruto for so long. And yet that idiot never stopped coming after him. Never stopped trying to make come back to the Leaf. If only he knew it wasn't the Leaf Sasuke wanted. It was Naruto. "Fuck."

He remembered the feeling he felt when he and Naruto battled only days ago. That calm moment when it was only him and his blonde. It made him so happy and yet he could only say things to hurt Naruto. He didn't admit he felt something too. He didn't admit the connection he felt with his bestfriend in that lone moment. He saw the pain in those brilliant eyes even behind the strong words. He regretted it. He regretted saying he'd destroy him. He regretted hurting him. He wished he could do something to let Naruto know. Let him know he had felt a connection too...

A sigh escaped his lips as he pondered his feelings further. He knew he felt heavy feelings for the knucklehead. He knew he had been pushing these feelings away, creating a wall of tension in his mind that he was afraid to bust down. For so long, Sasuke had built this wall. Brick by emotional brick, he had made it as sturdy as any real wall and yet now it seemed this recent encounter with Naruto was eroding away at the mortar and bricks. The raven let out a humorless laugh and shook his head.

Naruto was always destroying something. Always burrowing his way into things that were none of his business. That is exactly what the blonde had done to Sasuke. He had made his way under the pale skin and pierced his way into a previously empty heart. The blonde had taken a piece of his teammate and fixed it, shined it to brilliance while all the while Sasuke tried tarnishing the piece back to hatred and revenge. But as in everything the idiot does, he put his heart and soul into shining that shard of Sasuke and now it could not be retarnished. It couldn't be molded back into what it once was. And so now the only solution for Sasuke was to hide it away and ignore it.

However, who could ever ignore that loud, overly excited sunspot? The youngest Uchiha left in the world definitely couldn't. Everytime Sasuke let his mind wander, he thought of Naruto. Everytime he dreamt, he dreamt of Naruto. It was infuriating and endearing all at once. He hated the fact he had such a pathetic thing as a bond with Naruto of all people but he... he liked the fact that he wasn't completely and utterly alone. He liked the idea of being close to Naruto. Of holding that idiot close and never letting go. Such weak, sympathetic thoughts like that angered him and scared him at the same time. They showed that no matter how many times he denied there was something between him and Naruto, no matter how many times he pushed Naruto away, no matter how many times he denied that opposites attract, he would always...

Sasuke's eyes opened wide and his mouth fell open a little. A sudden realization from the storm of thoughts in his head hitting him square in the chest. 'I love Naruto...' The thought swirled around in his brain like a tornado, tossing away any other thought till it was only those three words sounding like the roar of a symphony. 'I love Naruto...' It chanted in his mind and he sat there for only Kami knows how long, just staring in shock at the rocks in front of him. He didn't. He couldn't. He wouldn't. But...

He did.

It was undeniable. The wall of emotion came crashing down and his inner workings scrambled to fix it but he knew it was pointless. Years upon years of building such a strong force of tension in his mind, years and years of denial and hurting others to prevent him from facing the truth were dashed away because of three words that had been fighting to break free of his barrier.

The recent events had worn away slowly at his sanity. Itachi and his true story, Madara and his plan, Naruto and his nonstop attempts to show Sasuke the way home. All of it. And now... After everything he had been through, he was being beaten down by three little words. 'I love Naruto...' He knew this was more than friendship. He new it was more than brotherhood. He'd felt both those things before and neither of them even came close to this strange, powerful concoction of hope, anger, affection, and... love. He knew it wasn't physical attraction as he had felt for what few women who had crossed and, admittedly, some men. He'd never done more than a few heated kisses and- Another thought worked its way past his now destroyed wall.

It was from long ago and it was a thought that gave him mixed feelings. It was of him and Naruto on the day they were assigned teams. It was when he received his first kiss. 'With Naruto of all people!', he thought to himself. 'Though maybe... Maybe it's a good thing.' Now he that he knew that he had some very big feelings for that idiot he was kinda glad it had been Naruto. He'd never felt so strongly for someone so it only seems fair he'd shared something with him that he couldn't share with anyone else.

A strange feeling welled up in his chest and he closed his eyes, resting a palm on his sternum. His normally nonexistent heart was almost painful in the way it danced about in his chest, like it was happy he had finally realized exactly how much the dobe meant to him. 'I wish I could see him...' Sasuke knew he would never be able to tell Naruto these feelings. Hell, it took him years to even admit them to himself. Now what was he supposed to do with these feelings?

Rationally he knew he should do nothing but emotionally, he knew something had to change. He knew this wasn't some tiny revelation. He knew that to any other person it would have been a huge concept. But he also knew that in his case, as someone who was almost as unfamiliar with love as Orochimaru, this should be a wrecking ball to his very core.

Though somehow, his subconscious had always known. He'd always known Naruto was special to him. Naruto was the only person he'd come to call his friend, the only person who saw through all his superficial masks, the only one who wanted to be his rival and friend at the same time, the only one who was still trying to be his friend, the only one who didn't come after him for his looks like Sakura and Karin, his family name like the higher ups in the Leaf, his abilities like Madara and Orochimaru. No... Naruto only want Sasuke because he was Sasuke and that made him feel like he was sleeping on cloud nine. Nothing his dark heart had ever felt could compare. He wanted to push these feelings away so bad. He wanted to fall back into old habits so bad and just forget everything from these past few minutes. But he knew that even if he pushed away these feelings they would only resurface some other time. Now that his wall was broken it would be impossible to build back up.

'Of all times to have a huge epiphany.', Sasuke thought to himself. 'On the verge of total war and chaos and I choose to realize I love my bestfriend...' He shook his head and thought something so sentimental he could've slapped himself. 'What better time to change your life than when the whole world is falling to pieces.' He still harbored feelings of pure hate for what the Leaf had done to his brother. He still wanted to destroy them with everything he had. He want to take their last breathe and laugh in their faces. But he wanted to see Naruto. He had to see Naruto.

With a flare of impulse and irrationality, Sasuke jumped up and began to wash his face in the basin beside his bed. He tried not to think of what he was going to be doing. He knew if he did his rational and prideful side would stop him and right now... he didn't want that. He wanted to let go for even just a moment, to see Naruto before all hell broke lose. Who knew if he'd ever get the chance to talk to the dobe again. He needed to see his Naruto just one more time. Tell him he was sorry and tell him he couldn't come home because of the hatred he held for the Leaf, tell him he wanted to come back and be friends with Naruto maybe even more... Sasuke stopped in his ministrations and again found himself staring wide eyed at rocks. What if Naruto rejected his feelings? 'That's impossible... If he didn't want me for more than a friend why would he come chasing after me?...' He pushed away the thoughts. He didn't care. Right now he just wanted to see him and tell him that he was at least sorry and that it wasn't Naruto that caused him to go away. Tell Naruto it wasn't his fault. Tell him no matter what he'd always be his friend.

Rational thoughts of how stupid he was being and how this wasn't going to help his conquest and how this was completely unlike him tried to make themselves known but Sasuke rejected them. He didn't want to be cold right now. He didn't want to be an avenger right now. He'd been an avenger since his clan was slaughtered and for today he wanted to be just Sasuke. Like the little Sasuke in his dream. He wanted to be innocent for a few moments. Naruto brought out the good in everyone including himself. Even though the good in himself was all but dead, he knew that if there was even a little good left in him he wanted to use it right now to apologize to the only friend he'd ever known.

Sasuke finished washing off as much of the grime as he could and dried his hair off. He pulled on the only clothes he had, deciding against wearing the Akatsuki cloak, and tore off out of his room. Darkness and the smell of damp earth enveloped him as he sprinted through the winding tunnels and caverns of Madara's underground lair. Whatever possessed evil doers to have their lairs below ground was beyond him. He supposed it was for isolation but still he didn't love sun but it was better than total darkness. Slowly, it dawned on him that Madara would be furious he left so close to war time. Sasuke scoffed at himself. It wasn't like Madara owned him. He had only agreed to be in his organization and help him conquer the world.

'Hn... When did enslaving the world become such a flippant task to me?' Sasuke thought, astonished by the sheer indifference he felt for the world, aside from Naruto of course. Had he really become that much of a loner tyrant? He supposed that emotional indifference had been one of his goal but now that he was truly turning a cold shoulder to the world he realized how sick it sounded. He thought Orochimaru and Madara were twisted bastards and he was a noble avenger but in truth, was he any different from them? He was going after his goals alone with no consideration for anyone else. 'But isn't that what I've always done? Why should I care for people so below me?'

Sasuke knew Naruto would adamantly disagree as always with his prideful ways. Naruto was so innocent and he wore his heart out on his sleeve for anyone to see. He'd always been the one to fight for anyone and befriend anyone who showed him even a hint of kindness. He always found the sliver of moral righteousness and latch on to it even when the person themselves doesn't realize they showed anything more than hatred. Sasuke knew this from experience and it made him chuckle lowly to himself.

Many hours later found him emerging into the light of day. The sun nearly blinded him and he staggered a little. Being in the dark had taken it's toll and now it felt like his pupils were being murdered. Massaging his eyes and blinking fervently, he began running at full speed again, the time seeming to be mid afternoon. It felt good to stretch his muscles and let lose some of the energy pent up in his limbs. Fighting with Danzo, Naruto, and the Kages hadn't quite taken all his strength and he was nearly in top condition again already. The trees flew past and his skin was bathed in some much needed Vitamin D. He had a long ways to go before he got to the Leaf but at top speed he knew he would reach it before tomorrow morning. He had good endurance and even though it would be tiresome, it would be worth it to see his dobe.

The sun moved across the sky and Sasuke found himself running through a starry night. Chills swam up his spine and he felt that weird sensation in his stomach curled and coiled violently and he now identified it as a feeling of pure anticipation. The whole way he had been sensing ninja coming and going and he'd been dodging and avoiding. The raven nearly decided to stop and rest for the rest of the night but then a new flare of chakra hit his sensors. And it was one he knew well.

"Naruto..." He whispered into the night and sped up his already blazing pace. The glowing blue light of his bestfriend's chakra shone brightly in his mind's eye and he could have sworn he'd be sick with apprehension. The dot of awareness was stationary and Sasuke wondered what the blonde was doing so far out of the village so late at night. It seemed strange and the raven felt a pang of worry. What if something had happened to Naruto on the way out or in from a mission?

Slowly the distance between them became minuscule, only a few trees and veils of leaves and he'd be face to face with someone who had both captured his heart and given him more headaches than he could count. He slowed to a lazy hop between branches, feeling the excitement and fear swirl around his belly in a meaningful, painful brew. The leaves cleared and shadows covered the ground as Sasuke dropped onto a lower hanging branch and froze. For the third time today his midnight eyes opened to their full extent and his pale mouth open in shock.

There sleeping peacefully, peach lips parted in a silent snore, black lashes laying gently against scarred cheeks, tanned skin glowing translucently in the moon light, was his sunspot. Sasuke shook of his stupor and leapt lightly onto the branch Naruto was resting on, hardly jostling it. The boy before him stirred slightly in his sleep, putting a hand down to his stomach and twitching to scratch at his abdomen. The black haired boy moved closer till they were mere inches apart. He could feel the ever present heat radiating from the boy even through the chilled night air. His charcoal eyes skimmed over the sun kissed features before him as if for the first time. Truthfully, it had been far too long since he had really seen the teen who tugged on his heartstrings. It had been since Naruto was a mere tween and now look at him.

The dobe had really grown into a downright beautiful human being. Sasuke leaned closer till his breathe beat against the man below him's nose. Naruto's skin was dark and contrasted charmingly with his deliciously blonde locks. The gorgeous hide looked to be softer than silk, free of stubble, and it made the pale man crouching in front of it's fingers twitch with the urge to caress it. He scoffed at himself out of habit and quickly regretted it. A pair of glittering, ultramarine speckled orbs flew open and ensnared him in a microsecond moment of hypnosis.

Two things happened in that next moment. The startled jinchuriki kicked his legs out, knocking the knees of the stunned 'mystery' person above him and gravity took hold of the situation. Two pairs of alarmed lips met in a bruising kiss. Time paused again and black met blue as they each stared in equal amounts of intrigue and confusion. It took a full thirty seconds for the paler of the two to realize what was happening and by then he had already felt his heart melt into liquid heaven. He couldn't say he'd always dreamed of kissing his bestfriend. In fact, it had never crossed his mind except for in the darkest recesses of his thoughts. However, the muscle in his chest jolted wildly, making it's frantic agreement to this unforeseen predicament known. A wave of happiness hit him as he realized how perfectly his and Naruto's lips morphed and fit together, like two missing puzzle pieces finally meeting. His joy was short lived though as his kissing partner shoved him away. He flew back and barely braced himself before hitting the ground with a loud thud.

"What the fuck?!" Naruto screeched like a banshee. His face was redder than a tomato - which just so happened to be one of the raven's favorite foods which made the look even more precious. Sasuke had to admit to the light dust of pink across his face but he hoped the night time shadows hid it well enough. He gazed up at his bestfriend and waited for him to make a move other than screaming. Something clicked in those vivid eyes and Naruto's whole demeanor sang of disbelief. "Sas...uke?..." The chopped word hung in the air like a blanket, coating everything in a feeling that belayed the unushed words they both knew had to be said.

"Naruto... I know..." The saddened avenger took a deep breath trying to quell his sudden hesitation to speak aloud. "I know everything I've done has been for solely myself and I know I've been selfish and ignorant of your feelings. I know I ran off leaving you behind. I knew how close you were to me and how much you depended on... on our bond." He swallowed thickly. It had been a long time since he had even spoken that much at one time. Especially about something that he found meant more to him than he would have thought possible. "I know I've been running away from you and working solely for my own definition of better good. I know my goals are going to hurt you and I just... I just wanna..." His eyes trailed up to the shell shocked ones of his, once long ago, teammate. "I'm trying to say... I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm so so so sorry. I wish I could take back all the times I've hurt you. I wish I could prevent all the times I'm going to hurt you in the future. I wish I could go back to it being just us. Me and you... I'm so sorry." These words of pure unadulterated emotion drifted up to the blonde. He saw the mask he was so used to seeing crack a little and for a moment everything that was Uchiha Sasuke was bared for only him to see. He saw the gated of Sasuke's eyes open and he saw the flood of pent up emotion. He glimpsed the Sasuke he knew from before shining through and he felt his heart soar. His bestfriend, his rival, his... his Sasuke, was still there. He had lost hope he would ever bring the young Uchiha home or even bring some of the childhood part of him back out from beneath the brumial indifferent cover up. He had lost hope and now here he was. Baring his heart for only the jinchuriki to see.

Naruto's shoulders sagged and suddenly there was a blur of orange and black coming right at Sasuke. He readied himself and was about to dodge the wild obscurity. He was stopped in his tracks though as arms wound round his waist tightly and a head fell hard to his shoulder. A hand gripped tightly to the crest on his shirt and another clutched at the white fabric of his open kimono top. Sasuke went rigid and his arms hung limply at his side. Sobs broke out from the body around him and warm drops of liquid trailed down his bare collarbone and down his rib cage that struggled to contain his fastening breathe.

"Please don't say sorry, Sasuke. Please. Please. Please. You bastard..." The next few seconds ticked by slowly and the woeful cries continued to berate Sasuke's ears. He felt every single shake and shiver that rocked his bestfriend's despairing body. He felt the now free falling fountain of tears splashing into his shoulder and his resolve broke. A small, strangled noise escaped his throat and he hung his head, pale, muscled appendages wrapping tightly around his sunspot. They stood there together in the moonlight. One crying tears of joy and one trying to sort the flood of emotions he was feeling. Some were old and kind of painful but others were knew and they coated his insides with a sweet layer of what he could only describe as affection and... 'And love.', he thought surely to himself. He grabbed hold of the still shuddering shoulders and pushed them away so he could see the now tear reddened eyes of his blonde.

"Naruto, I have to say sorry. I've done so much wrong by you. And I'll you've done is come after me and protecting me. I..." Sasuke closed his eyes and stopped his own tears from welling up. There was only so much he felt comfortable telling the blonde right now and this was pushing it. He was slowly losing his confidence to say the words he knew would change everything. He couldn't do it. And right now he wouldn't do it. Changing what he was going to say, he continued. "I heard from Madara how you begged for the Raikage to pardon me. Even while I was trying to destroy everything you stand to protect you-"

"NO! Everything I want to protect was safe except..." Naruto interrupted loudly, his eyes dancing as if they too were trying to convey the words the dobe struggled to say. "You. Except you, teme. You were in danger and... And I felt like I was going crazy. I couldn't do anything to help you. I couldn't save you. As usual..." Naruto's voice trailed off into silence. Silent tears made their appearance again down those tan cheeks and Sasuke without thinking brought his fingers up to brush them away. The lightning that flew through their nerve endings when their skin met made them both stop and stare. Sapphire and onyx gems invisibly smashed and tangled together doing what their owners denied wanting to do. Sexual tension was never something Naruto understood and it had never been a problem for him. He'd always been too busy for any romance. He was always off training with the Pervy Sage and seeing all those fluzy woman practically naked all the time had started to not affect him but looking into those endless universal eyes made him feel drawn and intoxicated with a desire that couldn't be called sexual. It was a desire that reached beyond that. It was a desire for the very soul of the person in front of him.

Sasuke like wise felt the body transcending lure Naruto's gorgeous star lit eyes and sun kissed skin on his inner being. It reached to the very depths of his heart and took hold. Tenderly and impulsively, the raven curled his pale digits and traced the three whisker like scars on his sunspots cheek, pulling the chin up slightly. Their eyes remained locked and neither of them moved further. Naruto, being slightly shorter, continued looking upwards almost wanting the action he knew was to come if he just rose onto the balls of his feet a little. He remembered what had happened what seemed ages ago even though it was only minutes. His lips tingled at the reminder of the unexpected and somewhat painful meeting of mouths. That was the third time he and the fixation of his practical obsession had kissed and not once had it been meant.

A part of his mind battled with his rational side. That part of his mind wanted to know what it would be like to kiss Sasuke intentionally, just once. His rational side said he would be ruining a bond he had tried so hard to protect. That thought sent ice through his veins and he quickly tried to shake away the grasp the raven had on his cheek.

"Naruto, don't..." Said Sasuke, tightening his hold on his bestfriend's chin. "Stay." The order sent a surge of indignation through the jinchuriki. He scrunched his eyebrows together and pouted out his lower lip, curling the sides of his mouth into a semi-smirk. The face was hilarious to Sasuke and he felt himself quirk a small nearly invisible smile.

"You're telling ME to stay? You're the teme that ran off not me!" Naruto cried, glaring up at the rouge ninja before him. The receiver of the glare dropped his smile and downcast his gaze. Realizing he had hit a nerve Naruto dropped his smirk too and brought his own hand to touch the forearm of his companion's. "Sasuke, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." Fervently, the cascade of black hair shook, disagreeing with the blonde. He was so terrible. Everything he had done to hurt this gorgeous being and yet Naruto was saying sorry to him! He had nothing to say sorry for and yet he was still apologizing.

"No, Naruto. You're completely correct. I ran off to chase my own goals and not once did I think of how it might affect you. I'm so sorry. I'm so so so-" Sasuke's apologies were silenced by a pair of heavenly soft lips. He felt his wide surprised eyes flutter to a close as he melted into the first person who's kiss he enjoyed's velvet invitation. For long seconds that seemed like eons they just stood there, their breathing stilled, their hearts ablaze, their souls feeling closer than they ever had before. This impulsive kiss was both welcoming and frightening. Sasuke didn't know how to react to the sudden contact. His face was heating up and he only hoped Naruto wouldn't notice. If it had been some chick who threw themselves at him like Karin he would have pushed them away or took what he wanted and left but with Naruto... He felt like he was approaching a small fawn or walking on eggshells. One wrong move and he felt as if he would ruin it. He resolved to just let his little sunspot make the first moves.

Naruto, however, was completely out of his element. He had never kissed anyone except Sasuke. He didn't know what to do or how to react. He knew he wasn't supposed to just stand here, closed mouthed, and stupid but... He opened his eyes and saw that Sasuke's were closed as if he were truly enjoying the moment. The sight of that shimmering, pale skin dusted with a light shade of red sent his heart into overdrive. It gave him a sudden burst of adrenaline and courage. Bright blue disappeared and peach lips pulled away for a moment, paler ones following after them before stopping, waiting. Naruto smiled slightly and brought his lips back down to caress their partner. He moved his hand from Sasuke's forearm up to his neck and into his jet black hair. Sasuke responded to this by leaning down a little further and sliding his arms around the blonde's thin waist.

Their lips brushed against each other softly in perfect unison. Their instincts responded to each other, in tune. It was just like when they fought as a team. They were fluid and nearly flawless in their execution. A well oiled machine that couldn't be stopped. The nostalgia filled their heads making this first consensual kiss all the more memorable. The precious sensations of skin and against skin burned into both their memories. The kiss was innocent to be for sure. But it was more intoxicating than a thousand bottles of sake. For minutes upon minutes they stood there, lips sliding against lips, arms around each other, black hair dipping and melding with blonde.

Finally, with a sigh of content joy from each of them they parted. Sasuke rested his forehead against Naruto's and smiled a small smile. Even though it wasn't beaming like the one plastered on the jinchuriki's face but it was one of the biggest on the Uchiha's face in a long, long time. This moment of undisturbed peace between the two was pure divine magic. The sound of crickets creating a symphony around them and the cold chill in the air that had them holding each other just that much closer made it all the more heavenly. It cast a spell over the two that had them breathing in unison and relishing their body heat, like two beings becoming one.

Suddenly, the actual proximity of them and reality of the situation hit Naruto. Unlike Sasuke, he didn't know his feelings. Till now he had thought of Sasuke as a bestfriend and maybe even a brother but in this past hour... He felt as if a thousand birds had been released into his stomach and a match had been lit beneath his heart. He was frightened by the feeling but at the same time he loved it... Love? Did he love Sasuke? Was that what this feeling was? It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. But it didn't seem like so far of a stretch. He had chased after Sasuke for so long that only love could properly explain such devotion. He realized he liked the idea of loving Sasuke, being by his side always. It wouldn't be so bad. Even is he was a bastard sometimes. Like when he ran way.

Sasuke gave Naruto a questioning look as he felt his blonde's body go stiff. The grip on his hair tightened painfully and he let out a small whine, shaking his head and dislodging the clutching fingers. If only he knew the bomb that had just dropped on the tanned boy's heart. The fear that had just been unleashed on his mind.

"Naruto?" The raven asked tentatively, leaning down a bit to be eye level with the whiskered boy. He felt a bit of panic when he saw the small child in a thunderstorm look in Naruto's eyes. "Naruto? What is it?" He asked again, this time with more vigor, worry clearly evident in the undertone of his voice. He watched as Naruto lowered his head and heard him mumble something. "I can't hear you." Naruto brought his head up a little further and looked the avenger dead in the face.

"Are you going to leave again?" Came the deadpanned, desperate question. It took Sasuke by surprise and he blinked many times before even being able to think of answer. Don't leave? Didn't Naruto know he had to? He had to complete his goals, he had to avenge his brother and his honor. He couldn't just stop. He was a rouge now and that meant he wouldn't even be welcomed back by anyone except Naruto.

"Naruto... You know I can't stay. I'm a rouge. I've killed, Naruto. I attacked the Kages. There's no saving me now." Sasuke tried to convey how truly hopeless the idea of saving him was. He knew the blonde well and knew he wouldn't accept no for an answer but that was the only possible answer. He would be killed is anyone knew he was here. But getting such an amazing kiss from his newly found love was worth taking the risk. He knew he had to be heading back before dawn came and that seemed to be mere minutes away considering the color of the sky. Naruto suddenly pulled out of Sasuke's arms and stood square in front of him, shoulders drawn back defensively.

"Sasuke, I don't care! There has to be some way you can stay here in the Leaf. Maybe if we talk to baa-chan and-" Naruto was silenced by a lingering peck. His face lit up bright crimson and he glared hotly at the smirking Uchiha. Naruto shook his head and gathered his thoughts. He continued his rant but there was a more forlorn edge to his voice as he realizes his pleading was in vain. "Please, Sasuke? There has to be something. I'm so tired of chasing you down. Once you go back..." He lowered his head and balled his fists at his sides. "You'll be lost again..." The heart broken whisper permeated the slowly awakening world around them. The sky had begun to turn from dark purple to light blue. Sasuke looked on at his dobe with blank black eyes, silent calculations and ideas forming behind the mask. His tiny smile returned once an idea bubbled into his mind's eye that could actually work.

"I have to get going soon but first; I can't come back to the Leaf, dobe. Not now, not ever but..." He paused waiting for the blond to look up at him. When he finally did look up, his face was littered with a few stray tears. Sasuke made a move to wipe them away but Naruto pulled away quickly scrubbing at them on his own. Feeling a sting of hurt in his chest, the raven continued his plan. "But I can come back to you." The vague phrasing he used puzzled the blonde and he was under the impression that they were the same thing. The avenger seemed to read his mind as he continued. "I know they seem to be the same thing but, Naruto. I hate the Leaf and what they've done. They..." He took a deep breath. "They don't deserve to live. The people have done nothing wrong but your dignitaries, especially the counsel, they deserve to pay. Don't try and sway me from it. It won't work. Anyway, what I mean by come back to you is what if we meet like this? What if we set rendezvous points?" Sasuke truly thought his plan was genius. They could meet like this and forget everything that had happened and was about to happen. It could just be the two of them. If they made these meetings into their own personal sanctuary then even if they couldn't and wouldn't ever be together in the real world, they could still - and Sasuke wanted to smack himself for thinking such girlish sentimental things but - they could still fall in love, be in love, and share more sweet kisses like tonight.

Sasuke returned to the real world from his brain's fantasy to find Naruto staring at him with a small grin on his face. It seemed the raven had missed something the dobe had said because now he felt a little out of the loop. He began to feel self conscious over his idea and was about to take it back but Naruto opened his mouth first.

"You're kinda..." The blonde's face turned beet red again, a look that was becoming common for him. "Nevermind. Anyway, I think us meeting like this would be a great idea! You have to spar with me and we could talk about everything we've missed about each other's lives." His grin turned a little lopsided as he put his hand on his hip and jutted his pelvis to the side. "It's kinda weird that I know so little about someone..." His cheeks burned again. "Nevermind. So when and where do you wanna meet next? Cus I'm game for anytime, anywhere!" Naruto smiled so wide Sasuke thought he'd have no face left behind that smile. The blonde threw his thumb up and Sasuke almost found himself laughing at how much a 'Naruto' pose that was. He shook his head and thought for a moment, crossing his arms.

"In three days at noon, go to the Valley of the End." Sasuke murmured, smirking as realization dawned on his companion's face. It was the place they had their final fight before Sasuke went off to be with Orochimaru. 'There I go with more sentimentality.' Sasuke shook his head and looked at the sunrise. The atmosphere was painted with pinks, pastel yellows, and purples. It was really a sight to behold.

Meanwhile, Naruto thought it over, making sure to catalog the place and time. He was more than sure that he'd have nothing planned that day other than maybe visit with baa-chan. He nodded and looked up at Sasuke only to find the raven's attention on the blossoming horizon. The bright colors of heavens painted his pale as snow face in bright, vibrant colors. His eyes were like reflective pools of oil, spinning and lighting a flame in the sunlight. He looked like a painting come to life. Naruto couldn't help but stare and as long as Sasuke was oblivious to it...

A wind blew from behind them causing Sasuke's hair to fall into his eyes. Naruto was about to life but he stopped. Sasuke had brought his hand up and ran his fingers slowly through his hair, closing his eyes and leaning his head back slightly to the breeze. Something about the display made the jinchuriki's mouth feel dry and his heart skipped a beat. Sasuke looked... beautiful. In every aspect of the word.

"Naruto?" The velvet voice of his affection broke his thoughts and he blinked in surprise. Sasuke was staring right at him, his fingers still twined in his hair, a raised eye brow questioning him. Naruto blushed for the umpteenth time and shook his head.

"Hai. I'll meet you there. I guess you should be going, huh?" The blonde smiled, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning onto one foot. Sasuke nodded and moved closer, dropping his hand from his hair. As the distance closed between them Naruto felt a flare of excitement whirl in his abdomen, speeding up his already skipping heart. A pale hand worked its way onto a tanned cheek and dark mysterious embers met azure masterpieces and they shared a final moment of peace. In unison they leaned in, their lips met and sparks flew through both of their heads. When they pulled apart from the kiss, they both smiled tiny delighted simpers. With fleeting glances, they parted from their sunlit embrace.

"Till next time, dobe." Called Sasuke as he began to walk in the other direction, throwing a glance over his shoulder to make sure to savor the final moments of this beginning. Naruto began strolling toward the village, turning to walk backwards for a moment to watch his bestfriend turned... who knows disappear beyond the trees.

"See you soon, teme."

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So there it is :3 Sorry it was late but with the holidays and all I've been kinda packed. I wrote all day trying to make this chapter refined to the best of my ability. I hope you guys like it. Please review :3 Maybe even PM me?


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